Nancy and Jerry Manley are one of the few original “Falconites” – part of a small group of people who have lived in Falcon since the late 1960s.Manley, who is originally from Liberal, Kan., liked growing up on the plains, but it was the mountains that she fell in love with after visiting Colorado. “I had been coming to Colorado Springs since I was 7 years old in the summertime because I couldn’t breathe in Kansas with all the weeds and the dust,” she said. Manley said her family would put her on a bus to Colorado Springs, where she would stay with her older brother and sister. At age 12, Manley’s entire family moved to Colorado Springs.Jerry and Nancy Manley met at a roller skating rink while attending what is now Palmer High School. “He was one of the guards, and I went skating every Monday night,” she said. Shortly after, they quit school and got married. “He hated school. I loved school, but I still got married,” she said. They were married August 15, 1954 in Colorado Springs.Manley said she is glad she married early and had her three children. She found out later on that she had endometriosis, which would have prevented her from having children. If she had waited, she feared that she would not have had children.When her youngest daughter entered second grade, Manley also went to school – beauty school. “I’ve been working as a beautician ever since,” she said. “And now I own a shop.” But before opening her own shop, Southwest Styles, four years ago, Manley has worked at or managed several salons since 1967. She has seen hair styles come and go and also has seen her share of “hair horror stories.” Manley said she had a long-time customer who was her first client on Tuesday mornings. “She might call four or five times before I would get there,” Manley said. “Then, when I did get [to the salon], she said I wasn’t allowed to answer the [business] phone. She didn’t want me to talk to anyone; that was her time.”While Manley fixed hair, Jerry Manley fixed cars as a transmission mechanic for Bob Foss Motors. He worked there for 18 years plus before the company was sold and became Gene Osborn Toyota. For the next several years, Jerry continued to work as a mechanic. He also worked on a pipeline, managed a bar and restaurant in Latigo Trails and buried cable lines for two years.He also volunteered for various fire departments. Manley said he was with the Security Fire Department for six years. “We moved to Stratmoor Hills and helped [Chief] Marwin Parker get Stratmoor Hills back on the road again,” Manley said. The Manleys lived in Stratmoor Hills for two years before moving to Falcon. After their move to the eastern plains, Jerry continued to help out with the Stratmoor Hills fire department while helping to start the fire department in Falcon.It didn’t take long before Jerry found others who were willing to help him, Manley said. And since there was no money, the firefighters’ wives chipped in to help raise the necessary funds. “We baked pies; we did all sorts of things. We did concession stands at horse shows and farm sales,” she said.Jerry served as a volunteer and assistant fire chief from 1975 to 1979. He then became the fire department chief during the time – in 1981 – when Falcon became an official district. Jerry served as fire chief until 1983 but stayed on the fire district’s board of directors until 1990. Manley became involved with the fire district as the instigator for starting the district’s first auxiliary. “When the guys would have a fire, we would take coffee, sandwiches and water,” she said.On Dec. 6, 1989, Nancy and Jerry’s lives changed forever when Jerry had a major stroke. Manley said doctors diagnosed an aneurysm, caused by lifting something heavy, prior to the stroke. A few days after he had the stroke, Jerry was in a coma and doctors told Manley to prepare for the worst. She was told to place Jerry in a nursing home.However, Jerry had just changed jobs, and they didn’t have health insurance, so Manley continued to work to pay the bills. But family and friends were quick to lend a hand. “The fire department was the one to support him,” she said. Manley credits help from the Penrose Fund and the fire department for helping to pay bills that totaled about $134,000.Jerry has recovered beyond what doctors expected, and Manley said his otherwise good health and young age boosted the recovery. “It was God’s way of slowing him down,” she said. “But he didn’t need to bring him to a screeching halt.”The Manleys recently celebrated their 52nd wedding anniversary and enjoy spending time with family, watching Denver Bronco football games and living on the plains in their Falcon home.More on the ManleysWhat are you reading right now?Danielle Steele’s “Bitter Sweet”What do you like/dislike about Falcon or Colorado?I love to look at the mountains. The one thing I don’t like is when I go to the Safeway, I don’t see anyone I know anymore.Where is your favorite vacation spot?Our cabin in Goldfield, Colo.What is your favorite memory?Spending the holidays with our grandkids. We have seven grandkids and 10 great grandkids.
